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John UnkovichPrincipal Legal Policy AdviserConsumer Affairs Victoria

NFP Compliance PortalNFP Compliance Portal

Status update for the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission Implementation Taskforce Roundtable

Office for the Community Sector3 November 2011

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What is the Office for the Community What is the Office for the Community Sector (OCS)?Sector (OCS)?

Established in 2008 in the Victorian Government Department of Planning and Community Development, the OCS aims to support the long term sustainability of the NFP community sector in Victoria and has two key goals:

• Reduce the burden of red tape

• Build sector capability

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Reducing the burden of red tapeReducing the burden of red tape

A number of initiatives aim to cut red tape including:

• Standard Chart of Accounts (SCOA) – mandatory for Victorian government departments

• Common Funding Agreement (CFA) – for use by all Victorian government departments by end Dec 2012

• Associations Incorporation Act 1981 (AIA) reforms underway and promoted

And • NFP Compliance Portal - easy access to all Commonwealth,

State and local government compliance information via the on line portal

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Building sector capability – making the most of Building sector capability – making the most of all available resourcesall available resources

• Increasing the use of web based tools

• Building workforce capability – getting the right skill mix

• Enhancing governance

• Supporting volunteering

• Supporting engagement between NFPs and Local Government

• Supporting relationships between NFPs and the corporate sector

• Supporting access to social finance such as capital loans

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The OCS Engaging with the NFP sectorThe OCS Engaging with the NFP sector

OCSOCS

Reference GroupsReference Groups

Working GroupsWorking Groups

SurveysSurveys

SummitSummit

Development of tools and resources

Development of tools and resources

GrantsGrantsPilots/TrialsPilots/Trials

Communications Tools

Communications Tools

Building on what’s been done and showcasing

the good practice of the sector

Building on what’s been done and showcasing

the good practice of the sector

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Working across government – reformingWorking across government – reforming the way government relates to the NFP sector the way government relates to the NFP sector

• Minister to Minister• Secretary to Secretary• Participation with other Whole of Government projects• Build on activity already underway in government departments• Broker relationships with the sector• Communication: E-Bulletin, OCS website, events

Establishing the structures

IDCsIDCsIDCs &

sector working groups

IDCs & sector working

groups

Information sessions

Information sessions

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Overview of the Victorian NFP SectorOverview of the Victorian NFP Sector

• 120,000 NFP organisations in Victoria

• 38,000 are registered, with 82,000 unregistered

• Approximately half of all community services are delivered by NFP organisations

• The value of the sector’s contribution to Gross State Product is estimated at 8% (over $10 billion)

• The Victorian Government invests more than $2 billion in the NFP sector annually

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NFP Sector NeedsNFP Sector NeedsConsultation within the sector has highlighted challenges facing NFP organisations:

• 45% of NFP organisations do not know where to find the information they need to assist with regulatory compliance activities

• 43% of NFP organisations identified Google as either their first or second preferred starting point when seeking regulatory information

• NFP organisations find identifying the most relevant and reliable resources very difficult

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What is the NFP Compliance Portal?What is the NFP Compliance Portal?

The NFP Compliance Portal is a single point of entry to assist NFP organisations with their regulatory compliance activities. It will provide:

• A suite of content to assist NFP organisations to comply with regulatory requirements

• Up-to-date regulatory overviews

• New smart tools to make compliance easier

• Step-by-step guides to help NFP organisations locate relevant compliance information

• Links to a range of free, reliable and up-to-date online information services and resources.

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Why is it needed?Why is it needed?

The NFP Compliance Portal project was initiated in response to issues in the compliance landscape:

• NFP organisations were having difficulty in sourcing authoritative regulatory and compliance information

• Regulatory and compliance information was generally presented by government according to organisational hierarchy

• The administrative burden incurred by organisations was significant when attempting to comply

• Many NFP organisations simply did not comply due to the difficulties in doing so

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StrategyStrategyThe NFP Compliance Portal project was informed by the

following strategies and high level analysis documents:

• Organisational Support Services and Networks – Stage 1 Report (2009 – DK2)

• The Victorian Government’s ‘Reducing Red Tape’ commitment

• Options for Enhancing Regulatory Awareness (2009 – Deloitte)

• Review of Not for Profit Regulation (2009 – State Services Authority)

• NFP Portal Business Case (2010 – SPP Consultants)

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High Level Project StatusHigh Level Project Status

Timelines Estimated Go Live Q1 2012

Budget On budget

Quality High

Content Content creation is in train and subject to quality cycles

Compliance Will be compliant with all WMF standards

Accessibility WCAG 2.0 Level A

Designs Site design and visual design artefacts are complete

Risks Risk register and mitigation strategies are in place

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NFP Compliance Portal Staged DeliveryNFP Compliance Portal Staged Delivery

An information portal and a smart tool (RaLF) were both originally in scope for the release of the NFP Compliance Portal. The portal will now be subject to a staged delivery:

Stage 1 – Release of NFP Compliance Portal • Suite of content for NFP organisations based on topics, services and tasks• Suite of links to high quality regulatory information from sources internal and external to government

Stage 2 – Release Smart Tool into the Portal• Embed RaLF (regulations and license finder)• ‘Deep link’ content to appropriate licenses and permits in RaLF

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Benchmark of Other PortalsBenchmark of Other Portals

Benchmarking activities were included in the research for the Business Case and the analysis phase, including investigation of:

• The NZ Charities Commission

• The Charity Commission of England and Wales

• Charity Village (Canada)

• Charity Door (Queensland)

• PilchConnect (Victoria)

These – and other local and international sites – were reviewed to determine alignment with the NFP Compliance Portal.

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Benchmark of Other Portals (cont)Benchmark of Other Portals (cont)

The common challenges for NFP organisations worldwide focus on how to conduct operations:

To deliver maximum community benefit

Within the applicableregulatory environment

With the limited staff, volunteer and financial

resources available

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Analysis and Design PhasesAnalysis and Design Phases

A number of analysis and design activities were conducted for the NFP Compliance Portal, including:

• Desktop research

• Focus groups

• One-on-one interviews

• Prototype testing

• Application of best practice standards and heuristics

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ConsultationConsultation

NFP organisations, peak bodies and other internal and external stakeholders have been engaged at each step in the project:

• Previous research consulted widely throughout the sector

• Business Case – 76 stakeholders via expert interviews, workshops and a survey

• Requirements Definition – 36 stakeholders via expert interviews, focus groups and prototype testing

• Content validation – To be conducted throughout November and December to test high priority content

• User acceptance testing – To be conducted in Q4 2011 and Q1 2012

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Analysis Phase - OutcomesAnalysis Phase - Outcomes

Business Requirements Definition Report recommendations:

1. Establish a stand-alone portal model with coverage of strictly compliance information

2. Create a user-centred site name and URL

3. Provide current, concise plain English content and user friendly formats to cover all regulation and compliance topics which is accessible to all audiences.

4. Enable access via the portal to relevant experts who can provide information and referrals to users.

5. Provide navigation paths based on three navigation methods: via topics, service types and tasks.

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Analysis Phase - OutcomesAnalysis Phase - Outcomes

Business Requirements Definition Report recommendations (cont):

6. Develop a subscription email alert service for all legislative and regulatory changes and announcements in partnership with departments and agencies across all jurisdictions.

7. Provide a Not-for-Profit license and permit finder.

8. Incorporate a content-sharing facility.

9. Establish reciprocal arrangements (e.g. MOUs) with critical content sources – internal and external to government – to ensure that information is current, reliable, relevant and usable.

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Design Phase - OutcomesDesign Phase - Outcomes

The following project artefacts have been produced:

• Sitemap

• Information Architecture

• Wireframes

• Draft content

• Visual design (page designs and Visual Design Style Guide)

Note that these artefacts were validated via prototype testing.

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Design Phase – OutputsDesign Phase – Outputs

The following project artefacts have been produced:

• Visual designs were created for each page type

• A Visual Design Style Guide was created to inform the site build

Creative Designs 5 October 2011

Visual Design Style Guide

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Next StepsNext Steps

The following activities will be undertaken over the remainder of Q4 2011 and Q1 2012:

• Execution of the build phase• Creation of content• Accessibility auditing• Hosting and hardware considerations• Security and penetration testing, vulnerability assessment• SEO analysis• Communication Plan• UAT• Preparation for operational management• Commencement of RaLF scoping and analysis

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Questions?Questions?

If you have any queries, comments or feedback, please contact:

BIRR Project SponsorLynne WannanEmail: lynne.wannan@dpcd.vic.gov.auPhone: 03 9208 4667

BIRR Project ManagerBeau ZlatkovicEmail: beau.zlatkovic@dpcd.vic.gov.auPhone: 03 9208 3543

BIRR Relationship ManagerNick AllittEmail: nicholas.allitt@dpcd.vic.gov.auPhone: 03 9208 3971